tmesk

In the midst of all of this refusal....who is caring for patients? That is the reason we are there in the first place. We had a few LPN'S on our oncology division and recently displaced them all. It wasn't a good fit when your hanging blood,plt. and chemo all of which an LPN's can't do. For the most part they were hard working but one certainly had an attitude and took no repsonsibility...everything was blamed on the RN. I agree, if you want the pay, go back to school. Don't blame others and complain for one's lack of motivation. I'm curious, has management ever addressed this issue? If it's continous, why are they allowed to work there. My hospital as quit hiring LPN'S. Our LPN'S always took 6 while the RN'S started with 4, but then they had to have coverage. THe charge nurse who was out of care ended up covering anywhere from 6-12 patients. That's a lot when your dealing with oncology patients who can turn on a dime. Please address this with your mgt.

It sounds like these people are forgetting what is in the best interest of the patient. I feel that if you dont' want to give great care to pt's then go work somewhere else. It is ashame that your supervisor allows this to continue. I would keep writing the incidences down and before long, you'll have enough to fire the person.

Sometimes I'd rather be physically tired than mentally tired. You have to understand that being a manager is a tough job. We take it from all ends...patients, staff, director's, vp's. Yes, we are not physically on the floor all the time, but it's our job to manage an entire unit and that is not an easy task by any means. I can only speak for myself but it's a hard pill to swallow when your told 'make sure your meeting the needs of your staff...but who is meeting my needs as a manager? Managers have a great deal of expectation placed on them and are given little encourgament or reward. It's a frustrating job and the only thing that keeps me going is that I work with great nurses and patients. THey make it all worth while.

I would pull up their job responsibility list. I forsee in the future that LPN'S will be a glorified patient care tech. If the future of nursing is headed toward the BSN prepared nurse, where does that leave the LPN'S? Not much opportunity there except for them to go back to school. When people refuse to care for patients and lack teamwork, it's a performance issues. I would address the situation with the person first, if that didnt' help go to the manager. It sounds like it is disruptive to your team! The goal is to care for the patient. I've worked with very good LPN'S and one's who needed to be out of healthcare all together. If you dont' want to care for patients, then go go work at Walmart. Imagine what your patients' feel like having someone with that kind of attitude come into their room. THey probably feel like their a burden to care for. Take care of the real problem...their performance. Don't be afraid to address the issues with the mgr. They may not be aware of the problem. If they are, ask what the plan is for improvement.

But it is starting to matter what your academic education is!!! I totally agree with you, some of the best nurses came from diploma nursing schools! You had more clinical time. My hospital is headed toward hiring only BSN prepared nurses. At some point it will be worth your while to get that degree. It will open more job opportunites for you. Believe me I know. After 22 years of being a nurse, I'm back getting my degree. I wanted more options available to me than a staff nurse.

Get your transcripts and talk to a advisor. I'm sure they see this happen quite often and there is something to be said for adult learning. Don't let go of your nursing dream because you were young and immature! You can do this.

I feel your pain! When I was taking one of my certifications....as soon as the computer went on I froze. My heart raced, I couldnt' breathe and I wsa looking for the door! Ativan does wonders, seriously! The second attempt, I focused on breathing and took some Ativan a few hrs before doing it. I knew I knew the material, I just freaked out the first time. I talked myself through it. Get yourself together and try again. YOU CAN DO IT!!

As a manager I can tell you the nursing school you went to doesn't make a difference. When you look for a school, make sure and ask what percentage of their students pass boards. When you do get your first nursing job, ask if they have loan forgiveness. Good Luck.

No don't quit!!! Remember why you wanted to go into nursing and dont' let someone else get in the way of your dreams! If your at this point then I would suggest approaching the indivual upfront and tell them how you feel. Some people truly don't realize that they are being rude or have negative communication skills. If you dont' want to do a 'face to face' then go to your manager and tell her how you've been treated. If they are a good manager she will confront the problem and deal with it. Nurses have a way of 'eating their young'. We dont' nurture and support new nurses as we should. I feel terrible that you are being placed in this predicament, please talk to your manager! You didnt' come this far in your career to give up now because of nasty coworkers! Take a stand and let your voice be heard.

I've had the same issues with LPN'S. I would contact your floor manager and make them aware of the situation. It does no good to complain about it amongst yourselves, bring it to someone who can fix it. Lack of teamwork is a performance issue that needs to be addressed with that employee. The LPN'S should have more patients than the RN. I would assume you are responsible for taking their orders off, ivp med, blood, plt's etc. Check the state guidelines and the hospital policies to see exactly what they can do. Your RN license is on the line when dealing with LPN's. Good Luck!

You are going to school because you want to provide excellent care to sick patients! Management goes beyond the 'task' part of nursing, it's the business aspect of nursing. Although we dont' like to think of caring for sick people 'a business', it is. It's hard when your dealing with employees who dont' want to do their jobs. Not to mention being responsible for patients, employees and sticking to a budget.

Are you feeling guilty about quitting your job? Look at the big picture. You are putting yourself through school to provide a better future for your family. It wont' be easy, but with good communication skills with your husband, you can do it. I would hope that he would support you the way you supported him through his education. I recently enrolled in a BSN program. We discussed what needed to happen in order for me to be succesful. By working together, it's all worked out. Come up with a game plan as to who does what....grocery shopping, laundry, errands etc. That's what helps us. You can do this! Good luck.

If you have a choice, go the BSN route. I think that the future of nursing is heading toward the BSN. My place of employment is looking to hire only BSN nurses. Plus having a BSN allows you more opportunity. If the only way you can do it is a 2 yr program, then get in it but go back for the BSN. Most hospitals offer tuition reimbursment, so that could help you. I've been a nurse for many years and am presently enrolled in a BSN bridge program. I will then have more opportunites plus a bump in pay. Good Luck!